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Himachal: Cloudbursts, Landslides Claim 9 Lives in 48 Hours, 7 Still Missing, Met Issues Alert Till August 1st

Shimla-Monsoon continues to pummel Himachal Pradesh with deadly ferocity, leading to more cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods. Several rivers and rivulets are in spate. Incessant rains could bring more destruction as the HP Meteorological Department has forecast widespread heavy rains till August 1st. While a red alert was issued for July 28, an orange alert has been issued for July 29 and July 30 and a yellow alert for July 31st and August 1st.
An advisory has been issued for locals and tourists to not venture near the river banks and avoid unnecessary travel as incessant rains could lead to more landslides, flash floods, and uprooting of trees. However, tourists could be seen resolutely ignoring these warnings and partying near river banks and water bodies.
As devastation unfolds, the death toll due to monsoon induced calamities has reached nearly 200, while damages to property were assessed to be in hundreds of crores. Over 350 roads, including Manali-Leh, Pathankot-Chamba, and Shimla-Kalka, were blocked due to landslides. Half a dozen bridges, as many as 30 houses and several vehicles were destroyed. Hundreds of tourists were reportedly struck in Lahaul.
After a flash flood in Dharamshala, a massive landslide in Shahpur constituency, and a horrid rockslide in Kinnaur district that killed nine tourists and injured four people, a cloudburst triggered a flash flood in Lahaul-Spiti district on Tuesday that washed away over a dozen of people, who were said to be labourers.
According to the Director of the State Disaster Management, Sudesh Kumar, at the time of writing this report, seven bodies had been recovered while four others were missing. The cloudburst occurred over Tonzin nallah in the Lahaul region of the tribal district. Rescue operations were in progress to trace missing persons.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force, which was on its way to Lahaul-Spiti through road, remained stuck in Mandi for several hours.
On Wednesday morning, cloudburst was reported in Kullu district resulting in deluging of Bhramhaganga – a tributary of Parvati river. A tourist, a 25-year-old mother along with her 4-year-old son, and a hydropower official came in its spate and were yet to be traced. Beas river was also in spate and people living in shanties on its bank were evacuated.
Rackham area in Kinnaur district also reported heavy losses due to a cloudburst on Wednesday morning.
While a rockslide killed one person in Chamba’s Saluni, a helper tagged with a JCB deployed for clearing Bharmaur-Pathankot National Highway was swept away by gushing waters of a nullah on Tuesday night. His body was recovered on Wednesday.
In Shimla, a landslide between Vikasnagar and Panthaghati crushed a vehicle and caused damaged to some others. Gumma khud in Chirgaon was also in spate and reportedly swept away a bridge and about four vehicles.
Dharamsala received the highest 122 mm of rain, followed by Una 119 mm. In Solan district, Kasauli and Nalagarh also received over 105 mm rain.
This widespread destruction has worried climatologists and environmentalists who are linking increased instances of landslides and cloudburst to environmental degradation and destabilization of hills due to developmental projects, including cutting of hills for widening of roads, construction of four lanes, hydropower projects etc.
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HP Cabinet Decisions: Nod to 60-day special maternity leave for female employees and declaration of pending results for 699 posts

SHIMLA — February 15, 2025 — The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, convened today and approved a series of decisions affecting governance, infrastructure, and public welfare.
Budget Session Schedule
The Cabinet recommended to the Governor that the budget session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha be held from March 10, 2025, to March 28, 2025.
The Cabinet also approved 60-day special maternity leave for female government employees in the event of a stillbirth or the death of a child soon after birth.
HP Cabinet Approves Declaration of Pending Results
The Cabinet approved the declaration of pending results for 699 posts across six post codes, excluding tainted positions. The posts include:
- Market Supervisor (Post Code-977)
- Fireman (Post Code-916)
- Drawing Master (Post Code-980)
- Clerks (HP Secretariat, Post Code-962)
- Lineman (Post Code-971)
- Steno-Typist (Post Code-928)
New posts created across multiple departments:
- Police Department:
- Upgraded Police Chowki Sanjauli to a Police Station, adding 20 new posts.
- Established Police Post Baghi under Police Station Kotkhai with six posts.
- Fire & Emergency Services:
- Approved a new Fire Post at Nerwa (Shimla district) with 17 posts.
- Revenue Department:
- Created nine Tehsildar posts.
- Planning Department:
- Approved filling three posts.
- Treasury, Accounts & Lotteries Department:
- Sanctioned three Treasury Officer posts.
- Public Health & Infrastructure:
- Established a Primary Health Centre at Basheel (Solan) with three posts.
- Created new Jal Shakti Vibhag Divisions at Kangra and Jagatkhana (Bilaspur) with required staffing.
- Approved a new Sub-Tehsil at Loharghat (Solan).
Education and Medical Advancements
The Cabinet approved:
- Higher Education:
- Upgraded 16 Assistant Professors to Associate Professors at HP Government Dental College, Shimla.
- Technical Education:
- Introduced B.Tech (Artificial Intelligence & Data Science) and B.Tech (Computer Science) at Rajiv Gandhi Government Engineering College, Nagrota Bagwan (Kangra), with eight new faculty posts.
- Added B.Tech (Civil Engineering) at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Institute of Engineering & Technology, Pragatinagar (Shimla), with seven posts.
- Launched a diploma course in Computer Science & Engineering (AI & ML) at Government Polytechnic College, Sundernagar (Mandi).
- Medical Developments:
- Established a Department of Nuclear Medicine at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College, Nerchowk (Mandi), adding specialist posts.
- Approved hiring an Assistant Professor in Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion at Dr. Y.S. Parmar Government Medical College, Nahan (Sirmaur).
- Allowed allopathic doctors full salary during study leave, whether in India or abroad.
Police Reforms and Infrastructure Development
The HP Cabinet categorized all 135 police stations into six tiers based on:
- Population
- Area
- Crime rate
- Traffic volume
- Interstate borders
- Tourist influx
Staffing will be adjusted accordingly to enhance law enforcement.
Transport and Revenue Enhancements
The Cabinet approved an auction-cum-tender process for entry tax collection in FY 2025-26, estimating ₹11.56 crore in additional revenue. FASTag systems will be introduced at entry toll barriers, starting with:
- Garamaura (Bilaspur)
- Parwanoo (Main) & Tiara Bypass (Solan)
- Govindghat (Sirmaur)
- Kandwal (Nurpur)
- Mehatpur (Una)
- Baddi (Solan)
Administrative Reorganization
The Cabinet approved reorganizing Namhol Sub-Tehsil (Bilaspur) by integrating eight patwar circles from Sadar Tehsil.
News
Kotkhai Custodial Death Case: CBI Court Sentences IGP Zaidi, 7 Other Policemen to Life Imprisonment

SHIMLA – A special CBI court has convicted and sentenced Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zahur Haider Zaidi and seven other policemen to life imprisonment in connection with the 2017 custodial death case of 29-year-old Suraj Singh.
CBI Public Prosecutor Amit Jindal argued for exemplary punishment, emphasizing the gravity of the crime.
After considering the arguments, CBI Special Judge Alka Malik sentenced the eight police personnel to life imprisonment.
On January 18, the accused were found guilty under Sections 302, 330, 348, 218, 195, 196, 201, and 120B of the IPC in connection with the custodial death of suspect Suraj Singh. However, the court acquitted former Shimla SP DW Negi.
The incident occurred on July 18, 2017, when Suraj Singh, an accused in the alleged gang rape and murder of a minor girl in Kotkhai, Shimla district, died in police custody. The CBI investigation revealed that Suraj Singh was tortured and murdered by police personnel.
The court convicted Zaidi, who was the then Inspector General of Police, along with seven other policemen, including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Manoj Joshi, Sub-Inspector Rajinder Singh, Assistant Sub-Inspector Deep Chand Sharma, Head Constables Mohan Lal, Surat Singh, and Rafee Mohammad, and Constable Ranjit Sateta.
CBI public prosecutor Amit Jindal stated that the court sentenced the eight convicts to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on them. The accused were convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder, voluntarily causing hurt to extort confession, and wrongful confinement to extract confession.
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HP Cabinet Decisions: Approves Pilot Study on Cannabis Cultivation, Seema College Renamed as Raja Virbhadra Singh Govt. College

Shimla-The State Cabinet, in its recent meeting held at Dharamshala in Kangra district, made several key decisions across various sectors.
Cannabis Cultivation Study:
The Cabinet approved a pilot study on cannabis cultivation, which will be jointly conducted by Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Krishi Vishvavidyalaya in Kangra and Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture in Solan. The study aims to evaluate the potential of cannabis cultivation and recommend future actions. The Agriculture Department will serve as the nodal agency for this initiative.
Disaster Relief for Tandi Village:
The Cabinet extended the special relief package for disaster-affected families to those impacted by the fire in Tandi Village, Kullu. Under the package, families with fully damaged houses will receive Rs. 7 lakh, those with partially damaged houses will receive Rs. 1 lakh, and families who lost cowsheds will receive Rs. 50,000. Additionally, monthly rental assistance of Rs. 5,000 will be provided to affected families until June 30, 2025.
Robotic Surgery Equipment Procurement:
The Cabinet approved Rs. 56 crore for the procurement of state-of-the-art machinery and equipment for robotic surgery at AIMSS Chamiyana in Shimla and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Tanda, Kangra. The approval follows a model similar to AIIMS New Delhi, aimed at enhancing medical facilities.
Forest Department Order Amendment:
The Cabinet amended the Forest Department’s previous order to allow the extraction of berberis roots (Kashmal) until February 15, 2025. Furthermore, it permitted the transportation of forest produce extracted from open spaces prior to January 4, 2025, until February 15, 2025, in line with the HP Forest Produce Transit (Land Routes) Rules, 2013.
Ropeway Project and Transportation Improvements:
The Cabinet approved the establishment of a ropeway between Kullu Bus Stand and Peej Paragliding Point. Additionally, it sanctioned the procurement of 24 air-conditioned super luxury buses for the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) to improve passenger services.
Rural Development and Infrastructure Reorganization:
Nine posts of Block Development Officers will be filled in the Department of Rural Development. The Cabinet also approved the reorganization of the PWD National Highway Circle in Shahpur, creating two new divisions, Nankhadi and Kholighat, and the Kharahan Section.
State Taxes and Excise Enforcement:
To enhance enforcement, the Cabinet approved the allocation of 100 motorbikes to field offices of the State Taxes and Excise Department for surprise checks and improved monitoring.
State Cadre Posts:
The Cabinet decided to bring the posts of Drivers, all Class-III and Class-IV posts in District Collector (DC) offices, and staff members in the offices of the three Divisional Commissioners, Director of Land Records, Revenue Training Institute (Jogindernagar), Directorate of Consolidation of Holdings (Shimla), and the Settlement Offices in Kangra and Shimla under the State Cadre. This move aims to standardize governance and improve administrative efficiency.
Educational Institutions Renamed:
The Cabinet approved the renaming of several educational institutions. Government College Seema in Shimla will now be known as Raja Virbhadra Singh Government College Seema. GGSSS Sports Hostel (Girls) Jubbal will be renamed Sh. Ram Lal Thakur GGSSS Sports Hostel (Girls), Jubbal, and Government College Khad in Una will be renamed Mohan Lal Dutt Government College Khad.
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